Cement news highlights: 30 March – 2 April

World Cement’s April issue is now online!

The April 2015 issue of World Cement covers a range of topics, from health and safety to alternative fuels and energy sources. It also has a special focus on North America’s cement industry and the region’s technical expertise. Highlights include:

• Graham Sprigg, Managing Director of IMS Consulting and a Member of the Cement Sustainability Initiative’s Communications Task Force, outlines the organisation’s latest guidance for biodiversity management in the cement and quarrying industries.
• World Cement talks to Rafael Menéndez-Abascal, Health & Safety Manager at Lafarge Spain, about the continuous path to health and safety excellence.
• Betsy Lamb and Stephen J. Coppinger, CalPortland Company, USA, explain how investing in intern programmes can help the industry to attract and retain a new generation of top talent.
• Some key facts on the North American cement sector and related industries.

Subscribers can read the full issue by signing in. Non-subscribers can see a preview of the issue here. Do you prefer to read the magazine on the go? Then download World Cement’s free app for smart phones and tablets here.

Mergers, deals and acquisitions

• LafargeHolcim merger approved in India.
• South Africa’s PPC Ltd has announced that it will not be moving ahead with the AfriSam merger proposal after the two parties were unable to agree on terms.
• Shareholders of Trinetra Cement approved the vote to merge with India Cements.
• Holcim has sold its remaining 27.5% stake in Thailand’s Siam City Cement Company Ltd.

News from India

• India’s cement industry will see increased costs going forward, as freight rate hikes and higher taxes take hold.
• Dalmia Cement has reported the start of trial cement production at its new greenfield plant in Karnataka.
• India’s core sector growth slowed to its lowest level since October 2013 in February, but cement output grew.

This week’s not to be missed articles…

• The USGS has announced the release of a new report, ‘Recent Trends in Cuba’s Mining and Petroleum Extraction Industries’.
• The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is inviting expressions of interest for a new assignment aiming to cut the CO₂ emissions of the Egyptian cement industry.

Written by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/02042015/cement-news-highlights-30-march-2-april-2015-628/